In order to protect residents, employees, personal property, and the like, security monitoring systems are used to monitor a variety of facilities and to sense the presence of an unwanted intruder. Many such security systems are connected to a central control unit and monitored by an operator who can alert the appropriate emergency services in the event of an unwanted intruder. Typically, a home monitoring security system includes a combination of sensing devices and alarm devices and some also include cameras. To achieve the maximum monitoring coverage, these devices are distributed throughout the interior of the facility.
Security systems that employ cameras are advantageous in that they are able to record activity associated with a suspected breach of the facility. In some instances, however, the cameras record the regular activities of the facilities' residents and/or employees. The cameras also record activities that are falsely perceived to be security breaches such as pet behaviors and authorized users that have been accidentally locked out.
In specific situations, such as those having the potential to violate the privacy of authorized residents and/or employees of the facility, such comprehensive recordation by the security cameras may be undesirable. Since unwanted intruders could breach the security of a facility while the inhabitants are present, it is necessary for the security monitoring system to be functioning at all times. However, having cameras constantly being triggered to record the inhabitants' daily living and working routines is a dramatic invasion of the inhabitants' privacy, and is burdensome with respect to false triggers. Further, the monitoring and recording of guests' activities can be just as invasive.
The above-discussed issues have presented challenges to developing a home and/or facility security monitoring system that provides maximum coverage while minimizing one or more of the above-identified issues.